Two SEC teams in College World Series title game prove conference is best

Hello, women’s college basketball. College World Series, here. Nice to see you.

Much like the spring, when it was South Carolina and Mississippi State in the women’s title game, the SEC is owning college sports yet again.

Two SEC teams are meeting for the College World Series title in Omaha, Neb, with the winner of the best-of-3 series being named national champion. LSU and Florida meet Monday in Game 1. Game 2 is Tuesday and, if necessary, Game 3 comes Wednesday.

The teams faced each other earlier this year, too. Back in March, it was the second SEC series of the year. LSU won two of the three games in Baton Rouge.

But back in March, neither team was close to what they are now. Florida wasn’t hitting. LSU hadn’t broken out yet, either. Flash forward two months and instead of being “maybe a top 15 team or a little higher,” LSU and Florida were regarded as the two best teams in the SEC.

If you’re one of the best two teams in the SEC, it automatically means you’re a favorite for the national championship. The conference is that good, and has been for a long time. This year, even more so. It’s only right the two best meet with everything on line, given the year the league had.

In the meantime, let’s break down what these two teams to bring to the table:

LSU Tigers

Coach

Paul Mainieri: This is Mainieri’s sixth College World Series and fifth with LSU, so it’s not exactly new territory.

LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri looks on as he has a meeting with his players in the sixth inning during Game 3 of the 2009 NCAA College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium on June 24, 2009 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Best players

OF Greg Deichmann – .309/.418/.583, 19 HR, 73 RBI

RHP Alex Lange – 124 1/3 IP, 150 K, .229 BA against, 48 BB, 2.97 ERA

SS Kramer Robertson .310/.408/.480, 18 2B, 85 R

Neither Robertson or Deichmann have come untracked in Omaha. In fact, both are having relatively poor times in the College World Series. You can either subscribe to the notion they’re slumping or they’re due. Depends on your preference for LSU.

Florida Gators

Coach

Kevin O’Sullivan: O’Sullivan, like Mainieri, is making his sixth College World Series appearance, and all have come with the Gators. This is the third straight showing in Omaha for Florida and the sixth in eight years.

Kevin O’Sullivan and the Florida Gators have reached Omaha for a third straight year. (Jordan McPherson/SEC Country)

Best players

RHP Alex Faedo – 123 2/3 IP, 157 K, .210 BA against, 42 BB, 2.26 ERA

Brady Singer – 119 IP, 117 K, 30 BB, .247 BA against 3.18 ERA

OF Nelson Maldonado – .303/.449/.443, 50 BB, 15 XBH

Florida has only scored 13 runs in four games so far in the College World Series. The Gators have had difficulty hitting most of the year hitting, and with Faedo and Singer pitching the way they have been, expect more low-scoring affairs against the Tigers.